42 U.S.C. § 18385 — On-going restoration of radioisotope thermoelectric generator material production

(a) Findings. Congress made six findings. The U.S. has led the world in scientific space exploration for almost 50 years. Missions like Viking, Voyager, Cassini, and New Horizons have taught us a lot about the solar system's planets. Radioisotope power systems are the only power source available for deep space missions, letting spacecraft reach places like Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto and keep working for a long time. Current supplies and production of these power systems won't fully cover NASA's planned missions even over the next decade, and without new domestic production, the U.S. won't be able to explore most of the solar system by the end of the decade. Relying on Russia or other foreign sources for this fuel isn't a secure option. And restarting domestic production takes a long lead time, so a restart project needs to begin as soon as possible to meet future mission needs. (b) In general. The Administrator must work with the Secretary of Energy, starting in fiscal year 2011, on a joint plan to restart and sustain domestic production of radioisotope thermoelectric generator material for deep space and other science and exploration missions. Money this chapter authorizes for NASA must be made available to the Department of Energy, through a reimbursable agreement, to rebuild the facilities needed to produce this fuel. (c) Report. Within 120 days after October 11, 2010, the Administrator and the Secretary of Energy must send Congress's appropriate committees a joint report on their coordinated agreements, their implementation plans, and the schedule, production amounts, and mission uses expected under this section.